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Thursday, February 26. 2009

I was wondering if you knew of any budget-friendly places to get full-looking false eyelashes. I'd be a newbie in sporting them so I'm looking for a pair that's easy to put on and take off and probably something that stays put. I'm wondering if I need to just splurge on a good pair (I hear Shu Uemura's are nice) or if there's anything just as good but not pricey. —J

Shu Uemura may be the haute couturier of eyelashes, but drugstore brands can also give you the same glamorous look achieved by top models and movie stars. For beginners, try the Andrea Modlash Starter Kit, just $5.99 at Walgreens.com. I once heard this brand recommended by Barbara Walters' makeup artist of 16 years, Lori Klein, so they must be good!

To ensure those lashes stay put, you'll need to be patient and take your time to apply them properly: First, trim the lashes to the length of your eyelid. Next, put a dab of glue on your fingertip and run the base of the eyelash through the glue, then allow it to dry to the right degree of tackiness before slowly pressing it onto your eyelid (not your lashes, or you'll have a tough time getting them off). Add a touch of mascara to blend your real eyelashes and the fake ones together.

Once you get comfortable applying the full set of faux eyelashes, you can graduate to individual lashes which I think are trickier to apply, but can look more natural (though no less dramatic). A cheap yet effective choice would be Andrea PermaLash, just $3.29 at Drugstore.com.

I happen to own a pair by MAC, and they have served me well on those rare occasions when I want to look glam. Not cheap (average price of $12) but they have a lot of styles to choose from, and if you go to a makeup counter as I did, you can get help picking a pair that's right for you.

i love false eyelashes! i actually apply liquid eyeliner right along the eyelash line right before i put on the eyelashes while the eyeliner is still wet..this way the eyelashes will look so much fuller and it sticks so much better to your eye lashes and wont come off all night.seriously!!

Oh definitely. I love my faux lashes! My lashes are short unfortunately, so for events/parties I love using fake eyelashes to glam up my look. I find them tricky to put on though. Sometimes it'll go on within 5 minutes, and other times it'll take 30, haha.

I saw a video on YouTube yesterday by my one of favourite make-up bloggers PurseBuzz.com and she interviewed Heidi Klum who was saying that she always ads some individual falsies to complete her look. I guess you could wear them in any occasion (if you have time and patience, which I don't...)

The drugstore brands are pretty pricy. I use a brand called Darkness that sells eyelashes and eyelash glue.

The eyelashes are about $3.50 per pair, and ones with two pairs of eyelashes are $4.00. They also look and have a much bigger variety than the ones that they sell at the drugstore.

I would recommend anyone to use eyelashes that have long lashes as well as small ones (I use Darkness K-MA7). The full ones can make you look like you have fans over your eyes which isn't good.

The eyelash glue from Darkness is fantastic as well. They sell clear and black colored glue. The special thing about this glue is that it has a brush like liquid liner. Instead of putting the glue on the lash, after applying eyeliner, apply a line of glue above your lash line. Place your eyelashes and adjust as needed before the glue dries. Ta-da! Perfect fake lashes in less than 30seconds

The Darkness eye lash glue that comes clear and black are priced at $6.00. If there's an Asian Mart near you (H-Mart, Assi, etc) goto the make up counter and ask if they carry Darkness. You can also order online.